Faron Vincent... the once saint of her country who has fallen from grace by betraying them. Bonded to a killer she must deal with being an enemy to her people, and figuring out where she goes now

Elara Vincent.... the new Emperyean who has her work cut out for her in sorting the damage her sister has caused. Her country is being brought to the brink of war by the very figure her sister is Bonded to

The line between being a hero and being a villian are not as clear as the two girls once thought, and they must assess what they will (and won't do) to find they path.

I was more hooked on book one but glad I finished up the series as its a great duology all and all. Really enjoyed all the depth of the bonds, between humans and dragons, and the connections and relationships that we seen more of along the way

Out tomorrow... thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown for the review copy, all opinions my own

Book 2 continues right where SLTB left off. I think I enjoyed this book more than Book 1 actually.

Faron and Elara really switched stories here, but their connection to the gods and their reactions were interesting to see.

"Being worshipped was hardly a good thing, and a pedestal was nothing but a clifftop to fall from."

Elara being the older sister and having to deal with these new powers and trying to be so selfless versus how Faron was considered selfish for trying to save her family was so GOOD. I really loved their relationship and how much trust they had for each other. That was super refreshing to see and I'm glad we didn't have a miscommunication trope here.

The characters were soo well done too. I loved Faron's rage and anger, Elara's patience and trust and even Reeve and Signey. There were so many casual Queer relationships as well, I loved the representation.

We get a little more action and fighting than in Book 1, and I still really liked the alternating POVs from both sisters, although near the action at the end I felt like the lost-time worked against us. I liked how they were both really able to grow and develop individually but really loved Faron's inner turmoil and how she was forced to work with Iya.

This book spent a little more time with politics and seeing how the leaders dealt with the threat of war but that it was truly the people on the ground who had to live with it.

This is a YA book but I liked the little nods at how this could be a metaphor for the current US political climate, it could be too obvious for some.

"Life becomes not about living, but only about surviving. We deserve more than that."

Quote from the last Chapter: <spoiler> "Every day, we're going to wake up and we're going to try."</spoiler>

For example, I would've liked to see more about Faron's coming home and facing her people.

Overall a solid story, great characters and development and the magic system was pretty cool. The pacing could've been better; the beginning of the book started off pretty slow with weeks passing by and nothing happening, and yet the ending and epilogue felt very rushed. I just wished it was longer!

So Let Them Burn was one of my favourite reads from 2024. When I got the email asking if I would want to read the second early, I was beyond ecstatic. This did not disappoint, at all. This Ends In Embers was a magnificent continuation from the first book. There are so many ways I could describe this book. Action packed, jaw dropping, intense, romantic, smart, devastating, magical, riveting... It was utterly brilliant.

It starts off a week after where the first book ends, we go straight into the preparations for war. Does the intenseness settle down? Absolutely not. Kamilah Cole does a brilliant job of keeping you fully invested the whole way through reading. Her ability to describe feelings in such a beautiful way helps you connect so deeply to these characters. This is a story about love and loss. This is a story of two sisters who would sacrifice anything for each other, who believed in each other no matter where the war was coming from or where it was heading. Faron & Elara's relationship was so incredibly beautiful, as a sister myself it was easy to resonate with how these women were feeling. The stubbornness, determination and love they both had in them, made them both a couple of the best main characters I've had the pleasure of reading about.

The world building in this book was as exceptional as the first. The places were so well distinguished and the people who lived in each city were all so different from one another, with different magic aswell. Which made reading about each one extremely interesting and informative. I love love love the characters in this duology. The found family was one of my favourite parts. The romance subplots were so cute and so well done. The chemistry between each couple was very visible. I liked that the romance wasn't easy and straight forward, it gave a more realistic feel to the situation, making it easy to connect. I also absolutely loved the representation in these books.

Whilst I could rate this book 5 stars purely on characters and vibes alone, the plot was epic. It was paced very well and left nothing to your imagination. The fight scenes were so well detailed that, even though there were dragons involved, you could see it play out right in front of you. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to ruin it. Whilst it shows a satisfying resolution, it doesn't shy away from the violence and the fight that gets them to it.

I loved every minute of it, so much so that I refused to stop reading half falling asleep and completely confused the life out of myself. But Kamilah's writing made it easy to undo that by a quick re-read. I was completely invested throughout, their emotions affected mine. This duology was impressively written, I cannot recommend these books enough.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katy Brigden & Little, Brown Book Group for an early copy. All opinions are my own!

First things first, I'd recommend a reread of So Let Them Burn if it's been a while since you picked it up. As I started reading This Ends in Embers, I realised how complex the plot was and how many moving parts there were (in a good way) that I was struggling to piece together. This series has a vast supporting cast of characters which really adds to the depth of the story but also makes it difficult to remember who's who without a refresher. Now, this was a really interesting follow up, and end to the duology. We begin in the aftermath of So Let Them Burn, with both sisters coming to terms with what has happened and trying to parse through the physical and emotional effects. It's hard to say too much without risking spoilers for this book or the first, but I can say that Kamilah Cole develops the characters really well throughout the book. She also explores the different relationships, delving into really complex emotions - particularly when it comes to Faron, but also with side characters.

We get to see two sides of a war, and the story brings to the fore some big questions of ethics as well as examining the lasting trauma of colonialism. It also looks at how people from different cultures and races can come together - there's a lot of strong messages in this book and I would say judging people by their own actions is one of them. Kamilah's writing is really something and this series is well crafted, but I did find this second book much slower paced than the first and perhaps more character driven as the sisters face their emotions. All in all - worth picking up a copy!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Kamilah Cole brings the fire and pain in this blazing conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology. Continuing to tackle colonialism, independence, faith, and finding your way in a world that has very specific expectations of you, Elara and Faron grapple with their legacies and having the weight of the world upon them as it burns down around them when all they want to do is save the ones they love.

The trauma responses of all the characters and the explosive consequences and the politicians that fiddle as the world burns are so prescient and relevant as an angry hateful few seek to forge a world as cold and vicious as they are. I love the magic systems and that nothing comes easily to these guys. The have to make impossible choices and the climax is GUTTING and punch the air at the same time.
Forget Fourth Wing, the real drama is here. (No sex though - this is YA)

I've been following the fabulous Kamilah for years and can't wait for her next books. This is out on THURSDAY! Get it pre-ordered or shuffle on down to your local reputable retailer of books!

Thank you to @atombooks for approval on Netgalley ❤️ it has not affected my opinion.

I really enjoyed So Let Them Burn which is the first book in this duology and so I couldn’t wait to find out how it all ends in This Ends in Embers. The first book ends with Faron being forced to betray her country and join forces with the enemy, Iya, as she helped him and his dragon Lightbringer escape from centuries of imprisonment. Most of the worldbuilding and back story was provided in the first book and the sequel follows on nicely, picking up right where the reader left off.
I love how the sisters effectively swapped places in both books. In the first book, Elara bonded to an enemy dragon and had to train in enemy territory for months and now Faron has to survive and work with the enemies while Iya plans to burn her home and every other country to the ground to rule over everyone. Again, the sisters are separated from each other for the majority of this book, this time without any means of contact at all which adds even more tension to the story as they fight on opposite sides. Elara has no idea what Faron is planning and why she left willingly, even though she trusts her completely and believes that she thinks she is doing the right thing.
The sequel still has alternating chapters from both the sisters’ POV which allows the reader to see what is happening with both of them during the war preparations. In the first book Elara was my favourite sister and this stayed the same in this book as she navigates her new found power from becoming the Maiden Empyrean. Even though Faron had a lot more to deal with, I wasn’t always convinced that she was doing the right thing and I was constantly worried about her situation! She is shown in a much darker light as she tries to control her anger and her feelings of having to grow up too soon in a world full of war. However, Faron’s character development throughout was impressive and her growth while handling a very complicated situation was very well done.
I also loved Aveline, San Irie’s Queen, even more in this sequel. There were moments that she had with the sisters that showed her true self which she isn't allowed to be due to her status and her constant strength and power during the toughest times was admirable. I even loved the rest of the secondary characters: Reeve, Signey, Jesper and Torrey and thought each one added to the plot in important ways.
A lot of this novel is about strategising war plans from both sides as the two sisters figure out what to do and it all comes to a climax at the end with the final battle. Of course, I was expecting there to be some deaths (no spoilers) and I was so worried about who it could be because I loved them all and just wanted them all to survive and be happy! The fight scenes were action packed and I loved the use of different kind of powers to showcase various abilities in this world. Overall, This Ends in Embers is a brilliant conclusion to the duology full of action, character development and the lengths that people will go to save their loved ones.

2.75 stars, rounded up.

Having really enjoyed So Let Them Burn, I was extremely excited to be approved for the ARC of This Ends in Embers. However, I have found myself to be quite disappointed with this book.

This Ends in Embers follows immediately from the aftermath of its predecessor. Once again we are following the two sister POV's, separated once again from each other due to the events of the previous book.

This series is a great exploration of the impact of war and violence on people and the generational trauma that can come from that. The first book in the series, in particular, explored the racial side of colonialisation, but this seems to have disappeared entirely in book two (not that I am expecting characters to be regularly racially abused, but the racism from certain characters seemed to have ended by this book!)

I will start with what I enjoyed about this. The world was so much bigger and more interesting in this one than in the first book. I enjoyed learning about the different cultures and magic systems across this fantasy world and the different political structures they all have, which impacted the latter parts of the book. I do wish these new places were described more as they all blended into one for me.

The writing style is quite simple, which is to be expected for a young adult story. There were often times when it almost felt like parts of the story were missing. Often, you'd be told "time to execute the plan" or "time to go here" without any context as to why they are doing that plan or going to that place. The plotting was quite confusing because of this, and made me believe I had skipped pages without realising it! I'd then go back and reread previous pages and realise I hadn't missed anything. Maybe it's just my copy.

I also felt like the character's intentions and growth just didn't make sense. Maybe again they weren't explained enough to me, but I felt they were acting out of character quite often. The sisters especially were both incredibly immature, which does not make sense if you consider these two girls who grew up in a war zone, actually fighting in the said war at the young ages of 12 and 13 and then going back into another war again. The only character that seemingly acted as they should have done was Queen Aveline. Even other side characters should have been at least a little bit traumatised at what had happened to them!

The end of the book was also rushed and resolved too quickly, while the first three-quarters of the book was very slow, with not much happening. Due to the two POV nature of the book, you almost miss out on what was happening with the other character when separated during battle. This part of the story is quite linear, where you'd spend, for example, 5 minutes with one of the sisters, and then the next 5 minutes with the other. In that time you could miss what happened in the previous 5 minutes of the POV! I don't think I've seen this happen in a multi-POV story before, and it was quite jarring with that time missing from the story.

Overall, I feel this book fell flat for me and was a disappointing end to the series, having been really excited to finish the duology. I will pick up the author's future works, but I likely would not be rereading this one.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

A satisfting ending to the series. I liked the character development and how both sisters played a part in the conflict, but the actual didn't woe me. Nevertheless, a duology that I recommend!

3.5 stars

I love the honest and hard look at war this book portrays, I enjoy the world building and lore , I really liked the characters and their separate but equal arcs, getting to see Faron be vulnerable and scared and her big sis sweep in and them saving the day, together. I really thought I would be obsessed with this series, I kept reading in hope that I would be blown away, alas, that moment never realized, unfortunately. But I ended up liking it anyway.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A satisfying conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology! This Ends in Embers picks up where So Let Them Burn ends, so you can jump back into that wild cliffhanger. Two sisters, worlds apart, coping with the despair and wedge they’ve created while handling responsibilities, consequences and being teens at the end of the day. TEIE explores more of the world and lore of dragons and built off of character dynamics from the previous book.
Thanks NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC!

This is a breathtaking conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology that masterfully balances heart-pounding action with deep emotional stakes.
The story picks up after the the shocking cliffhanger at the end of So Let Them Burn and follows sisters, Faron and Elara Vincent, as they wrestle with impossible decisions, shifting allegiances, and the weight of their shared history. This instalment focuses a bit more on Elara and we see more of her struggle being a big sister, her relationship with Signey and the additional role thrust upon her at the end of book one.
Kamilah 's prose is razor-sharp, painting vivid images of a dark, war-torn world where every choice comes with devastating consequences. The exploration of morality is particularly striking as Cole blurs the lines between heroism and villainy in a way that feels raw and authentic, forcing readers to constantly question what "doing the right thing" really means. The characters’ growth—especially Faron’s struggle with redemption and Elara’s fight to define her own path—feels earned and organic. The plot twists are bold and unrelenting, leaving you breathless yet eager to see how everything unfolds.
At its core, this is a story about love and sacrifice, and the lengths we go to for the people we care about. The relationships in the book—whether between sisters, allies, or enemies—are beautifully layered, filled with both tenderness and tension.
If there’s any drawback, it’s that the sheer intensity of the emotional beats and moral dilemmas can feel overwhelming at times. Some moments linger a little too long on the bleakness, but that’s a small price to pay for a story that hits as hard as this one does.
Overall, the duology is a high-stakes action-packed story with great political commentary, lots of dragons and magic.


4.5 stars, and highly recommended!

THIS ENDS IN EMBERS is action packed and full of tension between what we think is right and the consequences of our actions.

Elara and Faron find themselves on opposite sides of the way, Faron at Iya's side hoping to save Reeve but only strengthening Iya's image. Elara is trying to hold the weight of San Irie but no one trusts her and her own faith in Faron strains relationships. I've really liked how this series centres sisters, and this book is no different. Both of the girls are romantic relationships, but it's their sibling bond that is the heart of the story as they fight to get back to one another and defend the other.

The other major relationship in this book is Elara and Queen Aveline's friendship. These are two young women under a lot of pressure, who have survived one war together and are now facing another. I really liked seeing more of it and how they cope with pressure and presenting an image to the public.

I liked how Elara's storyline let us see new countries as she tries to get them onside. There's tension between needing their help and not trusting these colonial powers. Everyone is definitely looking out for themselves and trying to use the situation to boost their own power. It was a realistic look at power plays in war time.

There is plenty of action and magic in this book, once more. This time it's Faron who explores her abilities with bonds and souls, and also sees older blood magic. This leads to lots of pacy action sequences and an epic finale that has a cost and also acknowledges that while there's hope for the future, rebuilding takes time and patience and effort

a strong ending to this duology, and a lovely sequel to the cliffhanger book one had.
this books is for those who love YA books that hold to the younger aspects of things, interweaving jamaican lore in a enthralling way.
the story covers all things growing up, learning to forget mistakes, building a strong group and the cost of war, being held somewhat accountable for the choices that are made.
the reveals and twist are well paced and thought out.
a strong debut from the lovely kamilah, i cannot wait to see what she will conjure in years to come.

Thanks NetGalley, Little Brown Books and Kamilah Cole for the ARC copy of This Ends in Embers!

After leaving her home in ruins, Faron is far from her friends and family who seek to end the life of the dragon that she is bonded to, before his destruction becomes too widespread.

I loved the first book in this duology and unfortunately this sequel fell a little flat for me - it felt a little jumbled, lacking the clear thread of plot that the first book had, moving at times very slowly but then at other times racing ahead.

However, I loved Kamilah’s writing style and think that many teenagers will really enjoy this duology! Faron and Elara and the rest of the characters are interesting and usually compelling, but I did find Faron’s moral dilemma’s a little repetitive and I often didn’t understand what was driving her decision making.

Overall fairly enjoyable and I will likely read the duology again! 3 stars (rounded up from 2.5)

This Ends in Embers is the final book in this duology. It continues many of the themes from the first instalment, such as the impact of war on children, which I felt were handled and written very well. I especially enjoyed how Kamilah Cole swapped Faron and Elara’s roles - Elara now becoming the Empyrian, protector of San Ire, while Faron navigates life behind enemy lines, grappling with the loss of being worshipped. It helped the sisters understand each other better and ultimately grow closer.

Although, Faron sometimes came across as self centred and insufferable, I think that just shows the brilliant and realistic writing. At just 17, she has endured so much, been idolised for so long and is still so young so it is normal for her to have these character traits.

I also loved the romance and dragons in this book. So if you like family, dragons, sapphic romances this is the book for you.

Summary: Faron Vincent, disgraced and kidnapped, aids a tyrant’s empire, while her sister Elara struggles to save her, and San Irie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

I haven't made it a secret that I loved So Let Them Burn so much and I am SO thankful I had an arc of This Ends In Embers so I could read it straight away because I am absolutely in love with this duology. It's made me laugh and made me sob my heart out it's beautiful and so well written.

The world building in this series is really good. I love that there is a deep lore here but also, I found the fantasy aspects really easy to follow along with and understand which is something I struggle with often but Cole has created a perfectly crafted world that people can fall in love with. I am an absolute sucker for any book with dragons in and this didn't disappoint. I also liked the use of the God's and what interesting characters they made.

I loved basically all the characters in this duology, all of them bought something to the table. Apart from Gavriel Warwick of course he can just burn. But my favourite characters wwre Elara from her first introduction in book 1, she was my favourite I don't even know why I became so attached to her so quickly but I did and I loved her journey so much and that she found a little found family for herself in her den I love them all so much. My other favourite was Reeve, oh my god Reeve I love him so much, Again I knew from early on he was one of my favourites he is indeed mu brand of character and I enjoyed reading about him so much.

I love everyone in the main cast so much, they're such a well written bunch of characters and I will carry them with me for a long time.
Overall, This Ends In Embers is such an incredible sequel and I cannot wait to read every single thing this author puts out in the future.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars.

This was a great conclusion to the duology. I felt it was a little slow to get started. There were a lot of little recap parts which were repeated a lot for the first few chapters. I think a summary of the last book at the start would have helped a bit to dive straight back in and also help me remember most things because the recap through the story wasn't always enough and I'd forgotten a fair few characters.

However, once it got about a quarter of the way in it the story really kicked off and I couldn't put it down. I really love how the author has explored the chosen one trope in this series. This Ends in Embers continued to explore it without really repeating what was seen in the first book. The parts were different characters discuss their insecurities in their abilities just made them so real, even with all their powers. I like the evolution of Faron and how she felts being chosen by the gods so young and how that's influenced her choices so much but also how other characters treat her choices without understanding her.

What a way to end a duology. I actually re-read the first book before diving into this one because I wanted the full reading experience and it was the best decision I could have made. Going from the explosive and emotional ending from book one, to the slightly slower and quieter 'after' without a break made the emotions hit that much harder, and I think I can safely say that Cole has become an insta buy author. Please note this review will contain spoilers for book one.

This Ends in Embers picks up almost directly after the ending of So Let Them Burn. Faron and Elara almost swapping positions, with Faron now being bonded to a Dragon and Elara now the maiden Empyrean. Cole's decision to flip their roles added an extra dimension to the story, not only allowing for the emotional aspects after the ending of book one, but quite literally putting the sisters in each others shoes. Allowing them to feel the weight each has carried, understand better the stresses both they and their roles put them under. We now see Elara in the role of protector, not simply of Faron, but the entirety of San Irie. She's in the spotlight more than she ever has been, and now dealing with people who don't think she should be allowed power at all. And Faron, going from being someone loved and prayed too, to someone everyone believes a traitor. She really grew in this book, acknowledging just how she abused her powers, but also acknowledging her trauma and how the God's used her at only 12 years old to be the face of a war. I'll always love these characters for many reasons, but the main one being just how human Cole makes them feel. They each have their flaws, their wants and needs that might not be seen as favourable by those they are trying to help, but what Cole does expertly is make them so real to their ages and the experiences that they have gone through.

Though we only get the POV's of Faron and Elara, Cole still allows us time to bond with her secondary characters, especially our two love interests, Sydney and Reeve. These elements added to the realness of the story, the awkwardness that can only come from teenage romance, from a kiss in the heat of the moment to... what are we now? But these relationships are also bogged down in war and politics, and Cole certainly makes them work for their happy endings. I love the relationships that are shown through this book and Cole certainly knows how to write romances of a complicated nature, two characters falling for people from the warring nation that once colonized them, without it coming across as creepy in any way.

Cole seems like the author who would laugh in the face of readers who say politics don't belong in books. She doesn't bog us down in the nitty gritty, but the undertone is there, we know what she's trying to say, and it's especially relevant through Elara's chapters. Someone who was the level headed one, the older sister whose job it was to keep Faron reigned in, but once she see's what her sister has had to deal with, these politicians who claim that this war isn't their problem, who would let San Irie stand alone against the might of Dragons, she realises why Faron and the Queen seemed so weighed down. I enjoyed the deeper dive into the political aspects, including how these really drew Elara out of her shell. But I think what Cole did so well through this book, and the series as a whole was show the real complicated nature of siblings.

We know that Faron and Elara love each other, that much was made evident in book one, but we also see Elara almost jealous of her sister, wanting to get out from under her shadow and start her life anew. Their relationship is very fitting, not just to their ages, but to the trauma they have both suffered from such young ages, and Cole really shows how lonely it can be to put that much faith into one person. Neither are willing to sacrifice the other, even if it means saving hundreds of lives, and those decisions come with real life consequences in this book. Elara really feels isolated, especially when so many people believe the worst of Faron, that she has turned against her own country, but Elara knows Faron the best, knows her reasoning is more to do with love than hatred, but it doesn't stop the sting of people assuming she is simply blinded by love.

It's a series steeped in trauma, but also one featuring so much love and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed every second spent in this world, with these characters. Cole's writing propels the story along, helped by her twists and plenty of action to break up the slower sections. If you're looking for a YA series filled with complicated and incredibly realistic characters, the perfect blend of action and politics and two beautifully written romances, you should 100% check this out. Cole has cemented herself as an auto-buy author, and I'm already excited to pick up her next release.

I enjoyed the premise of the book and the use of dragons in the storyline. Unfortunately it is quick similar to the first one, I was hoping for more character development or depth in this second installment but unfortunately didn’t really feel it.

I did however enjoy the conversations with the dragons

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This Ends in Embers was a fitting conclusion to this duology. It continued with a lot of the themes from the first book such as the impact of war on children and how much Faron and Elara are both struggling with knowing that they will experience a second war not that long after the first.

This book also explored Elara's struggle with how unworthy she felt to be the new chosen one, the Maiden Empyrean. I enjoyed Elara's almost unwavering faith in her sister.

Faron continued to be a little bit frustrating, but then I would remember that she is only 17, I think despite her experiences, she is entitled to her naivety at times.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationships in this book. Lots of representation seamlessly blended into this book. I'm glad I got to finish this duology.